1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector module incorporated between devices for transmitting optical signals from one device to another by optical transmission, and more particularly, to an optical connector module for electrically connecting light emitting devices and/or light receiving devices which are integrated with an optical transmitting portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an optical connector module is installed between devices for transmitting information signals from one device to another. For example, a module is installed between the motherboard of a computer and a bus, the motherboard of a computer and a monitor or buses, and permits information to be transmitted optically between the devices. To this end, the optical connector module is employed in a multi-channel optical transmission module, having an array structure so that each element of the optical connector module can transmit a light beam independently, and couples optical elements consisting of light emitting devices and/or light receiving devices to optical fibers in order to guide the light beams.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional optical connector module comprises: a first connector 3 incorporated with a device 1 so as to form a transmitting and/or receiving port; an optical element 5 installed in the first connector 3 for emitting a light beam or receiving incident light beams; a second connector 7 having a shape corresponding to the first connector 3 and joined to the first connector 3 in a plugged-in manner; and, an optical fiber cable 9 having one end installed at the second connector 7 for transmitting the incident light beams to the other device. Here, another optical connector (not shown) having a same or similar structure to the first and second connectors 3 and 7 is installed to be interconnected between the other end of the optical fiber cable 9 and the other device to be connected to the device 1.
The optical element 5 comprises light emitting devices and/or light receiving devices. Here, the light emitting devices convert electrical signals, input from a driving circuit formed on a circuit board (not shown) of the device 1, into optical signals, and the light receiving devices convert optical signals transmitted through the optical fiber cable 9 into electrical signals and transmit the converted signals to a controller (not shown) mounted on the circuit board.
One end of the optical fiber cable 9 is installed at the second connector 7 so that the end of the optical fiber cable 9 may face the optical element 5 when the first and second connectors 3 and 7 are assembled to each other, and the optical fiber cable 9 transmits the light beams input through the optical element 5 to the other device.
Since the optical connector module as described above is configured so that the devices can be connected or disconnected by connecting or disconnecting the first and second connectors 3 and 7 where the optical element 5 and the optical fiber cable 9 are installed, respectively, data errors, variation in optical power, etc., may result when the first and second connectors 3 and 7 are repeatedly connected and disconnected from each other. In addition, the reliability of moisture-proof and vibration-proof characteristics cannot be assured. Further, as connections and disconnections between the first and second connectors 3 and 7 are repeated, problems can occur in which optical alignment errors between the optical element 5 and the optical fiber cable 9 become larger.
In addition, there is a problem in that when the conventional optical connector module is applied to a device intended to transmit signals to another device through typical electrical connections, is the port structures of typical devices must be modified since the conventional optical connector module is incompatible with the typical devices.